Nut structure



Feb 20, 1951 c. T. ToRREsEN 2,542,375

NUT STRUCTURE Filed June 21, 1944 IN V EN TOR.

G6 MTM.

Patented F eb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE NUT STRUCTURE CarelT. Torresen, Santa Monica, Calif.

Application June 21, 1944, Serial No. 541,394 9 claims. (c1. 85-32) Theinvention relates to an improvement in fastening means with particularreference to nut holders, currently known as nut anchors or gang nutchannels, used in conjunction with screws or bolts for fastening partstogether in aircraft.

The inventionis particularly adaptable to attaching sheets of metal orthe like'to structures, in which the nut may be concealed, or linstructures where the nut may be in full View, but for reason ofinaccessibility, or mayhap for the sake of convenience, it may provedesirable to have the nut retained in place after removal of the screwor bolt.

Various types of fastening means have been employed in retaining nuts inplace, among which channel-like retainers are the more common. Channelsor other restraining devices employed in the past have usually providedno ready method of installing or replacing the nut without destructiveforces applied to the channel or retainer.

Frequently during the operation of removing the screw, because of damageto the nut or breakage of the screw in the nut, replacement of the nutis preferred to that of drilling out the broken screw and subsequentlyretapping the nut.

The types of retainers requiring side wall ilexure for the removal ofnuts are not strongly in favor, because of the probability of nutrotation induced by screw` torque. Types of retainers having loosepieces which may become lost are also objectionable. This isparticularly true of the type of nut retainer where loss of separableparts among flight controls would be serious.

The improvement in this invention consists of providing a simple, rigidone piece nut retainer with a means for permitting ready emplacement orremoval or" the nut, without destruction or permanent distortion oi theretainer.

The ensuing description and accompanying drawing will convey furtherunderstanding oi purposes and advantages of this invention.

l Figure l is a perspective view of the retainer as a single unit andcontaining a conventional nut.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional assembly View of a single retainer rivetedto a strutureitogethe with attaching plate, screw and nut.

Figure 3 illustrates the nut structure or retainer as a continuousmember adaptable to contain a plurality of nuts.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View of the retainer unit riveted to astructural member `and illustrating a nut in process of being installedor removed.

Figure 5 isa View Asimilar to Figure tlshowingk a nut strip attached toa curved interior structure and illustrating a modified type of xedstop.

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5 and illustrating a still furthermodiiied type of fixed stop.

Referring to Figure 1, the retainer Il? is made up of a base or websection II incorporating attaching rivet holes 28 and having up and-inturned flanges I2 located approximately in the "center of the unitlength. The flanges l2 permit oi' free but limited side play of nut I3.The nut structure or retainer also provides a free but limited end playof nut I3.

Fixed stop i4 formed on one or both iianges is provided to limit endwisemovement of! nut in one direction. To those skilled in the art it isobvious that Xed stop" I4 rray be one of a num-l ber of forms, such forexample as an ear t@ projecting inwardly from a side wall oi a iiange asshown in Figure 5, or by means of a projecting rivet head 29 as shown inFig. 5, either or both of which may be spaced in near proximity to oneside of the nut base. Travel endvvise in the opposite direction isprevented by a curvilinear upturned spring stop I5 formed of thematerial of the channel web, surface 2 being a continuation of the websurface I I and outlining the inner curvature of the spring stop I5. Inlike manner the slit 3| in the web surface I I may dei-lne the outlineof the outer curvature oi the spring stop I5. |The free end of thespring stop I5 is so located with respect to the nut that whileproviding for a limited movement of the nut endwise in the channel thisendplay is insuiiicient to cause the nut to be misaligned with the-clearance bolt hole in the channel more than a predetermined amount.

AStop I5 may be provided at either end ol" retainer `eliminating Xedstop I4 for convenience in ejecting nut in either direction.

Assembly of the nut in the retainer is readily accomplished by enteringnut base flange I 6 into the channel entrance as shown in Figure 4,compressing spring stop I5 down into the recess formedI in the web IIduring the operation oiA slitting the web to fabricate stop I5, forcingthe nutg-home in the channel, after which thestop I5, when restored tofree height, will retain nut in place.

Ejection of the nut likewise is readily accomplished. Depressing springstop I5 approximate- I ing rivet I1, Figure 4, approximately ush withupper surface of web Il. This may be accomplished by countersinking hole28 for the rivet,

In Figure 2, cover plate I8 is attached to structure I9 with screw 2D.Plate I8, however, may be misaligned a permissible amount. This wouldcause difficulty in assembling the screw unless holes 2i were oversize.However, the nut must be in alignment with the attaching plate I8 toprevent cross threading of screw and nut.

A limited floating multilateral movement in the plane of the nut base istherefore provided for the nut in the retainer. In attachment of membersto structures in which misalignment of holes is small, the floatingmovement of the nut can of course be correspondingly reduced.

In VFigure 3, as in Figure 1, the Vretainer is channel in form only atthe nut location, the flanges being cut away between the nut locationsto leave a strip between the nut stations, or at the ends. The cut awayportions 22 provide a number of advantages. The web l i may be flexedeasily. Forming laterally in the plane of the web or a combination ofbendinCTV and twisting may also be given to the web by suitableequipment in order to cause the strip to conform to attaching structure,as illustrated in Fig. 5.

The primary `purpose of omitting the flanges between nut stations is toprovide for ingress and egress of the nut.

Ordinarily, an objective in aircraft design is to space the nuts evenly.Practical application of the multiple nut retainer however justifies amiscellany yof nut spacing.

A variety of such arrangements for a multiple nut assembly is shown inFigure 3. At 23 two nut positions are contiguous, fixed stops beinglocated centrally between them and with the spring stops provided ateach end of the flanges. At position 24 the spring stops are provided ateach end of the nut position as another alternative arrangement.Position 25 partakes of the design `incorporated in the single unitshown in Figure 1.

The material employed in the manufacture of the nut retainer may be anyof the materials capable of attaining spring like qualities infabrication, but of relative strength such as spring steel, hardenablealuminum alloys and some of the plastic materials.

Having described my improvements in a nut retainer, I claim:

1. A nut structure comprising a nut having an outwardly shouldered baseof shape other than round assembled in a channel having a web and sideflanges turned upwardly and inwardly over said nut base for theprevention of but slight axial nut movement, said anges being of lengthshorter than that of the web but approximate that of said nut base, apositive stop at one end ofsaid flanges and a spring-like prong formedof said channel web projecting upward with its free end toward said nuta distance above said web top surface suiicient for the retention ofsaid nut and adaptable-for the passage of said nut when iiexed downward,said prong positioned between and substantially at the opposite end ofsaid flanges,

said stop, flanges and prong arranged to permit a limited rotational andmultilateral movement of said nut.

2. A nut holding means comprising: a channel member having a web sectionof predetermined length and a flange extending upwardly and inwardlyfrom each side edge of said web section; said flanges being ofsubstantially equal length andsubstantially shorter than-said websection;

and stop means located substantially at each end of said flanges toprevent passage of a nut thru either of said ends; at least one of saidstop means comprising a resilient tongue formed of the material of saidweb section with its free end extending above the plane of said websection; the free length of said tongue being substantially greater thanthe width of its juncture with said web section whereby it may flexreadily and return to its original position; said tongue being axiallyspaced from said flanges.

3. A nut `holding means as claimed in claim 2 in which said tongueextends axially of said web .section and its upwardly displaced free endis adjacent to the ends of said ilanges.

4. A nut holding means as claimed in claim 2 in which said tongue issubstantially U-shaped,

the base of the U constitutes the free end of the Y tongue, and the endsof the U are integrally joined to the web section.

5. A nut holding means as claimed in claim 2 in which each of said stopmeans comprises a resilient tongue formed of the material of said webszction withV its free end extending above the plane of said websection; the free length of each tongue being substantially greater thanthe width of its juncture with said web section; and each of saidtongues being axially spaced from said flanges.

6. A nut holding means as claimed in claim 2 in which said other stopmeans comprises an integral inwardly extending portion of at least oneof said flanges.

'7. A multiple nut holding means comprising: a web strip of substantiallength; a series of spaced flanges extending upwardly and inwardly fromeach side edge of lsaid strip; each pair of flanges forminga channel forthe reception of at least one anchor nut; the spaces between successivepairs of flanges being of substantial length to provide for lateralingress and egress of anchor nuts; and stop means located substantiallyat each end of each of said channels Y to prevent free passage of ananchor nut from either end of any such channel; at least one of saidstop means comprising a resilient tongue formed of the material of saidweb strip with its free end extending above the plane of said strip.

8. A nut holding means as claimed in claim 7 in which one of said stopmeans comprises a portion of one of said anges extending within themouth of its respective channel.

9. A nut structure comprising: a web strip; at least one llangeextending upwardly and inwardly from each side edge of said strip toform a channel; said flanges being shorter'than said strip; a nut havinga generally rectangular shouldered base located in said channel; theinternal dimensions of said channel being slightly greater thanV theexternal dimensions oi said shouldered base to provide limited universalmovement of said nut; a xed stop at one end of said channel to preventingress or egress of a nut from said end; and a movable stop at theother end of Said channel to selectively Vpermit or prevent ingress oregress of a nut .fromsaid other end; said movable stop comprising aresilient tongue formed of the material of said strip with its free endextending above the plane of said web section; the free length of saidtongue being substantially greater than the width of its juncture withsaid strip whereby it may flex readily and return to its originalposition; the abutment surfaces of said stops being spaced axially-ofsaid strip a `distance. slightly Vgreater than the correspondingdimension of said shouldered base to provide for limited movement ofsaid nut axially of said strip.

CAREL T. TO-RRESEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Richardson et a1. Oct. 17,1933 Swanstrom Jan. 17, 1939 Simmonds Jan. 17, 1939 Whitoombe July 22,1941 Luce Oct. 20, 1942 Murphy Nov. 2, 1943 Tnnerman Sept. 26, 1944Whitoombe Dec. 31, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Jan.30, 1913

